Blue Iris that Does Have to be Divided

jakejonesMay 12, 2009

What is the name of a blue iris that grows very well in the Mid-Atlantic and blooms well each and every year without division? It is about 30-36" high and it looks like a German bearded iris. The blooms are light blue and smaller than the modern hybrids. Thanks!

It might be an older variety or a species. I like it a lot because of the ease with which it grows. It has been in one spot for ten years and still blooms extensively. Clumps divided off grow quickly and bloom well the next year. Are there other varities like this one?

Hi Jake,
I don't think anyone knows. I have a clump of old historic iris like yours that blooms with almost no care at all. Since there are so many dozens of old blue and lavendar irises, it is pretty impossible to tell the name of yours.

I would bet that there are numerous old historic iris that are easy care. There's a yellow one that reblooms (I'll try to track down the name for you) and a girlfriend gave me a white(ish) one that bloomed like mad and reproduced better than a pair of bunnies, but she had no name for it.

Your old tried and true blue probably blooms even better when you divide it. I got 26 flowers on one bloom stalk on mine!

I don't know. Where I live in Socal the tall bearded iris "Total Recall" starts blooming in April and does not give up until November. I have been dividing it every year to spread it around the yard and to give to friends, so I don't know how long it will go without division.